Our new kitchen is small and limited, and it has less drawer storage than our last kitchen. And yet there is one drawer exactly where we need it.
It's under the counter that holds the KitchenAid and the cupboards that hold the flour, sugar, and other baking necessities. It's now become our spice drawer!
Here are a few arguments in favor of putting your spices in a drawer instead of in a cupboard, on a rack, or on a backsplash in magnetic jars (as we did in our old place).
- A drawer protects from heat and light very well - just as well as a cupboard and better than an open storage rack.
- I am very short, and was forever losing key spices in the dark regions of my cupboards because I couldn't see up there. A drawer is easier to reach into and I can see everything at a glance.
- Spices tend to be messy. Even the best storage options often result in a thin layer of chile powder or cinnamon on the cupboard shelf. The drawer is easier to clean; in fact, the whole thing can be lifted out and washed from time to time.
- A drawer like this one may even have enough space to store jars in the front and bulk bags of spices in the back.
- In the flow of baking it's easier to open a drawer than rummage around in a cupboard; everything feels more accessible when it's waist-high.
OK, some of these reasons may be idiosyncratic to my 5-foot-nothing self, but really - this spice drawer has already been very helpful. If you have room in your kitchen to keep your spices in a drawer, it's highly recommended - especially if you cook with spice frequently.
We recommended the IKEA DROPPAR jars earlier today; they fit perfectly in this drawer.
Where do you keep your spices? Does a drawer work best for you? Or do you prefer the cupboard, the wall, or a rack? Tell us what you think works best!
Related: Kitchen Tour: Devesh and Tara's Spice Pantry
(Images: Faith Hopler)
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I keep my spices in drawers, too. I don't have a spice rack, which is just as well, because I have spice bottles and jars of all different sizes. My kitchen cabinets are too shallow, and the shelves too close together, to accommodate a decent-sized lazy susan. The downside of using drawers is that I have to be very careful to stay organized so it doesn't take forever to find the spice I'm looking for.
I've usually used a drawer for my spices - I've had an endless string of small kitchens. The drawer is WAY more space-efficient than any other storage method, no doubt.
Key is to label the tops of all of the jars, so you can find things easily. A sharpie and some opaque white tape (for the black tops) is all you need.
I don't have a spare drawer for spices in my little kitchen, but when I did, I kept them there. Now, I have a shelf, and the shelf fits two baskets perfectly. I just take down a basket when I need a certain spice from it. The jar tops are labeled. Light isn't an issue because my kitchen is in the middle of my condo (woe, but I make do). To clean, I just lift the baskets off and wipe the shelf down. It looks like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/razz1/2357167600/in/set-72157603937107410
My spices are in a pull-out cabinet shelf. My tiny kitchen has no space for a spice rack.
I use a LOT of different spices (I probably have over 40 jars, all different!), so I not only stuck homemade labels on the jar lids, I arranged them in alphabetical order to make them easy to find. It really works.
Conveniently, there's a shallow cabinet (about 6" deep) right near the stove, which is perfect for spice jars and some non-refrigerated sauces.
I have double wall ovens and I keep them above that. I am over 5'9 so I am pretty tall which does make storage easier :) I am the person at the market who always asks the short people who are straining if I can help.
I'm 5'1" so I can totally relate! Currently I keep my spices in a basket in my cupboard but they're starting to overflow. I might need to try this when I finally get my silverware moved to the card catalog (alphabetized, of course!)
We have NO drawers in our new kitchen, so I'm searching for ideas for where they might end up living.
Emily
Thank you for not changing the pronouns to, "We are short..." I appreciate your shift from our to the the personal.
What worked for our apartment was Amac boxes ($.79). Because they're square the fit in a drawer without wasted space. (see link)
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=15966816&itemIndex=8&CATID=262&PRODID=71488
We get our spices in little baggies from The Spice House (ounce for ounce usually a better deal than the supermarket) and then put labels on the top lid so they could be arranged in order. For the other cook in the house they are also color coded by flavor type. Best thing we've ever done.
Michelle of Montreal - I hope it's not too close to the stove! When herbs and spices are stored very close to a heat source, their flavor vanishes pretty fast. At least that's been my experience.
There is actually a built-in pull-out spice rack *right next to* my stove, but because of the heat issue I use it for storing empty glass jars for re-use.
Nthing the label the tops of the jars.
I'm a scientist and find it completely bewildering when people decide not to label the tops of samples which will be kept with a hundred others in a rack.
Can't fit the entire label on the tiny lid? Just write the first three letters. Cin. Clo. Thy. Tar. Tur.
I have the larger version of these jars for things like pasta and rice, and unfortunately, I *thought* they would be a good solution to pantry moths. They aren't. I had a pretty bad infestation of these insipid pests and they were in these style of jars! Somehow or another, they were able to push past the rubber grommets that hold the lids on. Imagine my anger! Argh! I would not recommend these for spices therefore.
I used to live in Colorado and we had miller moths in our pantries. Spearamint gum gets rid of them; just throw an unrapped stick of gum in your flour or wherever they are, and they go away. The gum doesn't affect the flavor of any of your food, either. (I secretly wish we had that problem in Seattle so I could use that trick!)
Back to spices: I have a ton of spices and tea in everything from tiny baggies to 2-lb bags. I desperately need a good solution! Ideally in the form of a hanging basket or a light, wall-mounted spice rack. But I'll take any ideas.